Mr. Matthew Hartman

Biography:

Mr. Hartman grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. He attended college at Penn State and moved to the DC area in September of 2001. He has been a teacher at the GW Community School since March of 2003. Aside from teaching Mr. Hartman enjoys movies, poker, golf and acting. You can see him perform at the Comedy Spot in Arlington! He is currently attending the Penn State World Campus in pursuit of his Masters in Education.

Courses Taught:

Algebra I:

How does a car know how far it has traveled? If I have a recipe for a cake that asks for ½ cup of margarine but I want to make 25 cakes, how much margarine do I use? How can sportscasters predict how many touchdowns the Redskins will score each week with some accuracy? And just how does that Wii remote work? All of these have one thing in common: Algebra. Algebra I is your first step on your journey through the world of advanced math. Picking up where basic arithmetic and pre-algebra leaves off we will be looking at the use of variables, solving equations, graphing, coordinate planes, drawing lines, and how all of these things are related to the world around. While you might think that algebra is just a subject in school that won't help you in your life, it is in fact used everyday by many people all around us. If you have ever tried to figure out a problem that you didn't know the answer to you have done some simple algebra. We will also be using real-life example and problems to help you better understand how algebra is used in the real world. Hopefully the question, “Why do I have to learn Algebra?” will be answered by the end of the year and you'll be prepared for the next step of your journey!

AP Environmental Science:

Environmental science is often considered a faux science. Many look at it as something easily ignored and forgotten. But this year you will learn how important studying our environment really is. Through the use of the text book, class discussion, lab work, and field work you will learn how much of an impact we as human beings have on our environment and how much impact it has on us. From population growth to electric cars, and even everyday activities we don't think about. In addition to all of this we will be preparing for the AP Environmental Science exam on Tuesday May 13, 2008 at 8am.

Environmental Science:

This class will give you the chance to learn about Environmental Science from a more conceptual point of view. Not dealing quite as much with math and computations we will still be conducting labs and field work. In addition to learning about the environment we will be constructing an after-school environmental program for elementary students and learning how to convey our love of the environment to the next generation.

Improv for Actors:

What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Are you making it all up as you go along? Well we will be too as you learn about the tools required to perform improvisation on the stage. We'll deal with movement, voice, status, short-form improv, long-form improv, and we'll present a show at the end of the semester.

Film:

Why the heck should you have to watch what people in “ Hollywood ” decide you should watch? Why are all of those educational videos so boring? And why don't we make our OWN movies? Well now you CAN! You'll have the chance to direct, film, produce, edit and even do a little writing of your very own films. We'll find interesting locations, remarkable actors and compelling stories where once there was only a community high school. This is your chance to show YouTube what you're made of and really impress the masses because you know what color temperature is.

Hours Available For Extra Help: